Dried shrimp
ပုစွန်ခြောက်
Sun-cured shrimp pounded into savory fluff — umami you can spoon over anything.
Also answers to: pazun chauk · dried prawns · hae bee
Dried shrimp are small shrimp, brined and dried in the sun until they concentrate into something between a seasoning and an ingredient. Strictly they are a cure rather than a ferment, but they live in the same corner of the Burmese pantry and do the same job: a shelf-stable source of deep marine savor in a country where the delta and the coast have always fed the interior.
The Burmese habit that sets them apart is the pounding. Elsewhere in Asia dried shrimp mostly go into the pot whole; in Burma they are pounded or blitzed into a pale, fluffy floss — pazun chauk fluff — that gets folded through salads by the handful. That fluff is one of the signatures of the thoke table, the reason a Burmese salad tastes seasoned all the way through rather than dressed on the surface. The same shrimp, fried hard with ngapi, garlic, and chilies, become balachaung, the condiment that empties rice pots.
They are also broth-builders. A small handful simmered in water makes a fast stock with real backbone, the quiet base under many everyday soups. Between the fluff, the fry, and the broth, a bag of dried shrimp is one of the hardest-working things on the shelf.
Choosing itရွေးချယ်ခြင်း
Look for medium-sized shrimp that are reddish-orange and slightly pliable — they should bend a little before they snap. Rock-hard, pale, or gray shrimp are old; a fishy or ammonia smell through the bag means walk away. Chinese groceries sell the same product as hae bee, often in better condition than the dusty jars in Western supermarkets. Buy from a shop with turnover, and buy the size the recipe wants: small for pounding, larger for braises.
Keeping itသိမ်းဆည်းခြင်း
Refrigerate once opened — this is the one dried good on the shelf that genuinely wants the cold. In a sealed jar in the fridge they keep several months; in the freezer, close to indefinitely, and they need no thawing before use. Left in a warm cupboard they slowly stale, whiten with salt bloom, and lose the sweet half of their flavor, keeping only the fishy half. The freezer costs nothing; use it.
In the potမီးဖိုချောင်တွင်
Pound or pulse them into fluff for salads — a dry blitz in a small processor is honest, a mortar is traditional. Soak briefly only when a recipe wants them whole and tender. Fry them for balachaung until they go from chewy to crisp, and simmer a handful for quick broth. They carry salt, so taste before adding more. Omitted, most salads survive on extra fish sauce; nothing else fluffs the same way.
ဝယ်ယူရန် · Getting it
Buy the real thing
Dried shrimp — shelf-stable and shippable, unlike most of the fresh aisle.
Find it on AmazonCan’t get it? Honest swaps
- Shrimp floss / hae bee from a Chinese grocerExcellent
- Katsuobushi (bonito flakes)Last resort
ဟင်းလျာများ · Cooked with it
